Simulated mountain climbing board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

A game including a simulated mountain preferably formed of sectional parts to enable it to be easily packaged and shipped. The simulated mountain has a plurality of stations, some of which may be arranged on one side and others on the opposite side of the simulated mountain. The game also includes a plurality of discs pushable over pathways leading upwardly from the bottom of the simulated mountain and from station to station by a finger or thumb of the player as signified by chance means including two decks of cards which form part of the game. The first chance means includes a deck of five starting cards, each displaying a certain finger or a thumb for pushing a disc up to the first station. The second chance means is designated a Change of Finger Deck, each card of which displays two fingers or a finger or a thumb and the player must substitute a finger or thumb on the change of finger card that has not been used in approaching the first station. At each station, he must substitute a finger of thumb not used in the approach to that station until the top of the simulated mountain is reached.

United States' Patent Credico, Jr. et al.

[ 1 Feb. 19, 1974 SIMULATED MOUNTAIN CLIMBING BOARD GAME APPARATUS [76]Inventors: John Credico, Jr.; Delphine Credico,

both of 1556 Knuth Ave., Euclid, Ohio 44132 Filed: Apr. 14 1972 [21]Appl. No; 244,044

[52] US. Cl 273/131 B, 46/l7, 273/136 GB [51] Int. Cl. A63f 3/00 [58]Field of Search 273/131, 134, 136

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 907,421 12/1908 Steinhardtet al. 273/134 GM 2,729,451 1/1956 Larson 273/134 AE 3,083,020 3/1963Terschak 273/134 AG Primary Examiner-Delbert B. Lowe [57] ABSTRACT Agame including a simulated mountain preferably formed of sectional partsto enable it to be easily packaged and shipped. The simulated mountainhas a plurality of stations, some of which may be arranged on one sideand others on the opposite side of the simulated mountain. The game alsoincludes a plurality of discs pushable over pathways leading upwardlyfrom the bottom of the simulated mountain and from station to station bya fingeror thumb of the player as signified by chance means includingtwo decks of cards which form part of the game. The first chance meansincludes a deck of five starting cards, each displaying a certain fingeror a thumb for pushing a disc up to the first station. The second chancemeans is designated a Change of Finger Deck, each card of which displaystwo fingers or a finger or thumb and the player must substitute a fingeror thumb-on the n e offin cn rslthat ha not een sedin a2- proaching thefirst station.

7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures PATENIE FEB I SISM SHEET 1 [If 2 FIG. 4

2 FINGER THUMB I FINGER 4 FINGER 3 FINGER Y STARTING CARDS PATENI FEB 19 I974 SHEEI 2 OF 2 FIG. 6

IST OR 2ND FINGER IST OR 3RD FINGER IST OR 4TH FINGER IST FINGER ORTHUMB OR 4TH GER FIN E THU 3RD OR 4TH FINGER 3RD FINGER OR THUMB wCHANGE OF FINGER CARDS g 1 SIMULATED MOUNTAIN CLIMBING BOARD GAMEAPPARATUS Our invention relates to games and more particularly to a gameof Climbing a Simulated Mountain in which tain may be molded into anirregular or rugged shape from a plastic material, such as vinylchloride, an acrylic resin, or a phenolic condensation product, or itmay be formed of an easily manipulated metal, such as tin, and while themountain may be of any desirable height, we provide a simulated mountainhaving a height of approximately 4 to feet, from about four to four and/2 feet being-preferable. The simulated mountain contains a plurality ofstations and a pathway leading from a point or circle at the base of thesimulated mountain to a first station and then from each of a pluralityof succeeding stations to a station at the top of the mountain.

In climbing the mountain, each of the'players is provided with a seriesof discs, such as three, which are of different sizes. For instance, thelargest disc may be an inch in diameter, the middle-sized disc may beapproximately /1 of an inch in diameter, and the smallest disc may beapproximately /2 of an inch in diameter. The series of discs assigned toeach of the players is preferably of a color different than thatassigned to each of the other players. There is also provided a deck offive cards specifying the respective finger or thumb that is to be usedin pushing a disc from a point or circle at the bottom of the simulatedmountain to the first station. The cards in this deck are designatedStarting Cards. A second deck of cards is provided which designate bychance the particular finger or thumb that is to be used by the playerto push a disc up each additional path way on the simulated mountain. Inaccordance with our invention the largest disc of each series istheeasiest to push up the simulated mountain, the medium size disc beingmore difficult to'move up the simulated mountain than the largest disc,andthe smallest disc being the hardest of all to be pushed over thepathways leading to the peak or summit of the mountain without misp Ourinvention will be better understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a simulated mountain having apathway extending from a point or circle at the base of the mountain toits top or summit including a plurality of stations along the'way;

FIG. 2 is a series of discs assigned to each of the players with each ofthe discs in each series being of a size different than the other discsin the same series, and the series of discs assigned to each playerbeing preferably of a color different than that of the series of discsassigned to each of the other players;

FIG. 3 is a detail sectional view of the simulated mountain as seen froma plane passing through the upper and lower lines 33 of FIG. 1; FIG. 4is a plan view of starting cards which have written or printed thereoninstructions as to which finger or thumb is to be used in pushing a discfrom a point or circle at the base of the simulated mountain to thefirst station;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the simulated mountain .on the sideopposite to that shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of each of the Change of Finger cards.

The game may be played by any number of players, each of which isprovided with a series of different size discs, and each of which seriesof discs is preferably of a color different from each of the otherseries. Each series of discs may be of any suitable color, such aswhite, red, black, green or yellow. Because the game is essentially thesame whether played by two or more players, for simplicity, it will bedescribed as being played by two players, and-variations will be pointedout when the number of players are more than two. For instance, assumingthat there are two players, the one who starts first may be decided bythe flip of a coin. If there are more than two players, the playerstarting the game may be determined by drawing cards from a standardplaying deck, the one drawing the highest card being the first to startand the one drawing the second highest card being the next to start, andso on.

The player selected to start the game first draws or there is dealt tohim a card from the starting deck which has been shuffled by one of hisopponents, such as the player drawing the second highest card from astandard deck. Assuming that the card the player obtains from thestarting deck is designated first finger, he then places his first orindex finger on his largest disc and pushes it up over pathway 1 tostation la. At that time, his opponent or, if there are three or moreplayers, the one who has drawn the next highest playing card from astandard deck, shuffles the deck of Finger Change cards and deals to theplayer a card designating which finger or thumb he is to use for pushinghis largest disc from station la over pathway 2 to station.2a. There areten cards in this deck upon which are printed or written the followingdata: First or second finger First or third finger First or fourthfinger First finger or thumb Second or third finger. Second or Fourthfinger Second finger or thumb Third or fourth finger Third finger orthumb IO. Fourth finger or thumb Assuming that the first player hasreached the first station designated by the circle la without mishap,there is dealt to him a card from the Change of Finger deck which hasbeen shuffled by his opponent or, if there are three or more players, bya player who may be the one who drew the second highest card from astandard deck. Assume, for instance, that'card No. 1 from the Change ofFinger deck is dealt to him, which -card specifies that he use his firstor second finger in pushing his largest disc up to the second station.Because the player used his first finger in pushing his largest discfrom the point designated by the circle' B at the base of the simulatedmountain to the first station, he must therefore use his second fingerfor pushing his largest disc over the pathway 2 from station In tostation 2a at which time the Change of Finger card which was dealt tohim is returned to the Change of Finger card deck, the Change of Fingercard deck is again shufi'led by one of his opponents, who may be theopponent who drew the second highest card from a standard deck, andassuming that he is dealt card No. 2 from the Change of Finger deck, hemay use his first or third finger for pushing his largest disc uppathway 3 from station 2a to station 3a. It is possible of course thathe will be dealt the same card he used in pushing the largest disc fromstation la to station 2a, but in all probability, it will be a differentcard. if it is the same card, the first player must change his firstfinger to his second finger. If he has been dealt another card he may ofcourse choose beween the fingers, or a finger and a thumb, provided oneof the fingers or the thumb was not used in pushing his largest disc upthe previous pathway. In other words, it is always necessary for theplayer to change his finger, or to change his finger to a thumb,

or a thumb to a finger at each station prior to pushing his largest discup to the next station.

Because the rules of the game are quite strict and it requiresconsiderable practice to change fingers at the stations and to push thediscs over the pathways between the stations without mishap, anyspectacular success in climbing the simulated mountain is unlikely. Therules of the game as presently established are substantially as follows:

1. lfa player moves any one of his discs out of the circle at anystation while changing fingers or a finger to a thumb or a thumb to afinger, it is necessary for him to go back to the circle B with thatdisc. He also loses his turn and his opponent or, if there are three ormore players, the one who drew the second highest card from a standardcard deck gets his turn with all other opponents taking their respectiveturns in accordance with the card each drew from the standard deck.

2. If the player loses control of his disc at any time while he ispushing it over a pathway and it falls from the pathway, he not onlyloses his turn but he must start all over again with that disc.

3. If the player uses a wrong finger or his thumb when such finger orthumb is not designated by the Change of Finger card dealt to him, heloses his turn and it is necessary for him to start all over again withthe disc with which he is playing. The player cannotuse any other fingeror thumb .than that designated on the Change of Finger card that isdealt to him at each station in proceeding to the next station althoughhe may choose between two fingers or a finger and thumb if he has notused either the finger or thumb designated on the Change of Finger carddealt to him in pushing his disc on the pathway leading to the station.

If the player, however, is able to push his largest disc, step by step,up the simulated mountain and always uses the correct finger or thumbwithout any mishap to the disc as it is being pushed over the pathways,1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, l and 11 to the respective stations 1a, 2a,3a, 4a, 5a, 6a, 7a, 8a, 9a, 10a, and the station at the top of thesimulated mountain, he then confines his activity to pushing themiddle-sized disc up the simulated mountain in the same manner, and ifhe finally pushes the middle-sized disc from the base of the mountain toits top station without mishap and following the same rules, hethereafter confines his activities to pushing the smallest disc up thesimulated mountain until he attains his object of pushing all threediscs up the simulated mountain. if he does this before any of the otherplayers, he is recognized as being the champion mountain climber of alland may be presented with a ribbon designating'him as such and ifdesired a legend may be printed on the ribbon, such as Hail to theChief.

What is claimed is:

1. A game including a deformable material in the shape of a simulatedmountain having thereon a plurality of stations spaced upwardly from thebottom of the simulated mountain and from each other on apathway leadingfrom the base of the mountain to the first station and from the firststationover successive pathways leading upward to and from the otherspaced stations until a station at the top of the simulated mountain isreached, a disc having oppositely disposed flat faces, one of whichengages the pathway and is pushable upwardly over the pathway leadingfrom the bottom of the simulated mountain by a finger or the thumb of aplayer which engages the opposite side of the disc, first chance meansfor determining which finger or whether the thumb of the player is to beused in pushing the disc from the bottom of the simulated mountain tothe first station, and second chance means for determining theparticular finger or thumb that must be used in pushing the discupwardly on each succeeding pathway of the simulated mountain until thestation at the top of the simulated mountain is reached.

2. A game as defined in claim 1 in which the simulated mountain isformed of interfitting sections so that the game may be packaged andshipped in a comparatively small container. I

3. A game as defined in claim 1 in which the first chance means includesa deck of five cards, upon four of which is displayed the name of afinger different from each of the other fingers and on the other cardappears the word thumb so that when a card is drawn or dealt to a playerfrom the first chance means deck, he must use the finger or thumbdesignated thereon for pushing the disc upwardly over the pathway to thefirst station.

4. A game as defined in claim 1 in which the second chance meansconsists of a deck of cards on the face of each of which cards appearthe names of two different fingers or one finger and a thumb, thecombination of which is different on each card from the names appearingon each of the other cards, one of which named fingers or thumb is to beused in pushing the flat disc upwardly over a succeeding pathway of thesimulated mountain providing the player has not used such finger orthumb in approaching that station, in which case the other finger orthumb on the face of the card must be used for that purpose.

5. A game as defined in claim 1 in which the disc that is pushable upthe pathways of the simulated mountain is approximately 1 inch indiameter.

6. A game as defined in claim 5, further comprisinga medium-sized dischaving oppositely disposed flat faces and a diameter of approximately3/4 of an inch.

7. A game as defined in'claim 6, further comprising a disc smaller thansaid medium sized disc having oppositely disposed fiat faces thereon,one of which faces ger or thumb of the player.

1. A game including a deformable material in the shape of a simulatedmountain having thereon a plurality of stations spaced upwardly from thebottom of the simulated mountain and from each other on a pathwayleading from the base of the mountain to the first station and from thefirst station over successive pathways leading upward to and from theother spaced stations until a station at the top of the simulatedmountain is reached, a disc having oppositely disposed flat faces, oneof which engages the pathway and is pushable upwardly over the pathwayleading from the bottom of the simulated mountain by a finger or thethumb of a player which engages the opposite side of the disc, firstchance means for determining which finger or whether the thumb of theplayer is to be used in pushing the disc from the bottom of thesimulated mountain to the first station, and second chance means fordetermining the particular finger or thumb that must be used in pushingthe disc upwardly on each succeeding pathway of the simulated mountainuntil the station at the top of the simulated mountain is reached.
 2. Agame as defined in claim 1 in which the simulated mountain is formed ofinterfitting sections so that the game may be packaged and shipped in acomparatively small container.
 3. A game as defined in claim 1 in whichthe first chance means includes a deck of five cards, upon four of whichis displayed the name of a finger different from each of the otherfingers and on the other card appears the word ''''thumb'''' so thatwhen a card is drawn or dealt to a player from the first chance meansdeck, he must use the finger or thumb designated thereon for pushing thedisc upwardly over the pathway to the first station.
 4. A game asdefined in claim 1 in which the second chance means consists of a deckof cards on the face of each of which cards appear the names of twodifferent fingers or one finger and a thumb, the combination of which isdifferent on each card from the names appearing on each of the othercards, one of which named fingers or thumb is to be used in pushing theflat disc upwardly over a succeeding pathway of the simulated mountainproviding the player has not used such finger or thumb in approachingthat station, in which case the other finger or thumb on the face of thecard must be used for that purpose.
 5. A game as defined in claim 1 inwhich the disc that is pushable up the pathways of the simulatedmountain is approximately 1 inch in diameter.
 6. A game as defined inclaim 5, further comprising a medium-sized disc having oppositelydisposed flat faces and a diameter of approximately 3/4 of an inch.
 7. Agame as defined in claim 6, further comprising a disc smaller than saidmedium sized disc having oppositely disposed flat faces thereon, one ofwhich faces engages the pathway leading upwardly to the first stationand the other face of which is engaged by the finger or thumb of theplayer.